Digital photography | | How do I take good portraits? | | Here are some general guidelines for taking good portraits:
Use longer focal lengths instead of shorter (telephoto instead of wide angle). This will make your subject's face more natural and less bulbous.
Use a wide aperture for shallow depth of field. This will focus attention on your subject and not your background.
Avoid distracting backgrounds.
Try to achieve even illumination by exploiting natural light. If you can't use natural light, then use studio lights and/or multiple flashes and/or a bounce flash.
Avoid taking pictures where part of your subject's face is in shadow unless you really know what you're doing.
Avoid using a single flash pointing directly at the subject. This will create harsh shadows on either the subject of the area behind the subject.
| | What are the most common spelling/grammar mistakes in photography? | | OK, nobody asked this one, but I couldn't resist:
aperture
Note that there is only one "a" in "aperture". It is incorrect to write or say, "aperature."
height
Notice that there is no "th" at the end of this word. Resist the temptation to spell "heighth" or to make a "th" sound when saying this word. The "th" isn't there; it's silly to pronounce the word as if it were. I suspect that the origin of this bizarre error is the temptation to say, "length, width and heighth," or perhaps from some origins in Old or Middle English. According to dictionary.com, 90% of a usage panel surveyed disapproved of an extra "th" sound at the end.
lens
The word "lens" is singular. There is no "e" at the end in the singular form. "Len" is not a word in English. The plural of "lens" is "lenses".
noise
This word is frequently spelled incorrectly as, "noice."
| | How do I reduce glare off chrome, water, etc.? | | Try a polarizing filter, also called a polarizer. If you have an SLR which uses phase detection for autofocus (most do), then you'll need to get a circular polarizer to avoid conflicts with your autofocus mechanism. I haven't tried it myself, but a circular polarizer probably is not necessary with non-SLR digital cameras.
| | How can I get more dramatic looking skies in my shots? | | Try a polarizing filter, which can also be used to reduce glare.
| | Why is it so complicated to get the exposure right on my pictures? | | The exposure for a shot determines the amount of light that strikes the film or sensor. There are two variables the control this, the aperture and the shutter speed. These adjustments are required because no film or electronic sensor has yet been developed that can capture the full range of light intensities to which the eye responds. Of course, our eyes have help too. We have pupils which constrict in bright light and dilate in low light.
So, why don't our eyes ever expose things incorrectly? Our pupils tend to adjust to whatever we're focusing on, so we automatically compensate as our gaze moves. (Obviously, a camera can't do this since it must use a single exposure for the entire scene.) However, it is possible to get your eyes to expose things incorrectly: Have one of your friends stand with his back to a very brightly illuminated window in an otherwise dark room. Take a few steps back and try to concentrate on your friend's face. It should look dark to you and you may have trouble making out his or her facial expressions. The reason is that your eye is being tricked by the bright background.
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Fashion | | I am very interested in becoming a buyer for a major department store. What would be a good way to get a start? | | You need either a solid retail background or a merchandising degree to be a buyer and preferably both. Requirements vary by retailer, and e-commerce start-ups may want a "fresher" eye since the medium is so new so you might want to think about that.
Buyers need solid math skills (depending on who you work for, you'll be dealing with numbers a large part of your job) and a great ability to translate the trends into salable merchandise.
| | I am trying to start an clothing exporting business. How do I start? | | First, you should look at an apparel market site.They have lots of info about show dates, showrooms and how to register. Dallas even has a New Buyer's Kit -- and also check out California. New York is a great resource, but it's harder to shop because it's such a huge market. Contact one of the above apparel marts and get some initial info. Hot labels are notoriously picky about who they sell to, but there are always plenty of smaller brands that are terrific.If you have a "good eye" you can pick up new labels and looks and have a wonderful independent boutique.
| | Any suggestions on how to get into professional fashion critiquing? | | You might want to start reading about some of the different jobs that are available in the fashion industry. You might have more fun being a buyer than a critic, as there is much more call for people who can take their good fashion sense and turn it into $$$$$$ than those who can critique an outfit. I have some fashion schools listed if you are interested in going that route. If you are really interested in being a fashion critic or journalist, I would suggested taking some writing classes (good taste doesn't matter if you can't communicate it clearly) and maybe getting a college degree. You definitely want to start thinking about working part-time in the retail industry soon. This is the best place to develop an "eye" as they say in the business, for fashion. When you see hundreds of displays, and thousands of customers and how they actually try on, buy and wear clothes it will be some of the best education you can find.
| | I was wondering if you could tell me exactly what a fashion stylist does and how you get into that profession. Would a degree be needed? How much experience? | | A fashion stylist can work for a designer/manufacturer, individuals (including celebrities), magazines, photographers etc. They create looks with their keenly developed eye for fashion, mixing the different clothing pieces and accessories to make a statement. A top-notch fashion stylist has to be so far ahead of the curve, most people wouldn't have a clue what he or she is talking about!
The individual stylists develop a total look for a client. Phillip Bloch is probably the highest profile celebrity stylist, but these folks create the total look, run the errands to get all the pieces together, etc.
Like most things in this industry, a fashion degree isn't as important as experience and contacts. (Although I always strongly recommend a liberal arts or business degree -- will come in very handy in building a business!)
Retail would be an excellent place to start building a clientele. Especially very upscale boutiques or trendy stores, where you can show off your ability to find fashion that suits individuals (it's a very unique and difficult art to master).
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